Breech-loading fire-aem



' 4 Sheet Sheet 1.

J. 8. EDGE, Jr. BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARM. 4No.188,111, Patented March 6,1377.;

N PETERS, FHOTOLITHOGHAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

4 Sheets- Sheet JI S. EDGE, Jr. BREEC'H-LO ADING FIRE-ARM, Nb. 188,111Pa fnenped March 6,1877.

llilllll w N.PETERB. PHOTGLITHOGRAPHER. WASH-WON. D. C.

48heets-Sheet 3. J. S. EDGE, Jr.

BREECH-LOA'DI'NG FIRE-ARM.

Patqnted March 6,1377.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

7 7 8 1 6 h C r a M d m n me IE1. r a ump RM G N I D A $0 'H C E E R B.L 1 1 8 8 l L N NJ'ETER8. PNOTOAUTHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON D C 'JAMES S. EDGE, JR., OF YARDLEY, ENGLAND.

lMPROVEMENT IN BREECH LQADING F|REARM$- Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. R88, R EH, dated March 6, 1877; application filedJanuary 24. 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES SIMEON EDGE, theyounger, of Yardley, in the county of Worcester, England, mechanicalengineer, have invented new and useful Improvements in Breech-LoadingSmall-Arms, which improvements are fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts ofbreech-loading smallarms in the ways hereinafter described, whereby thesaid arms are rendered more convenient in use than those of the ordinaryconstruction, and the mechanism of the said arms is at the same timesimplified.

I construct in the following manner a breech-loading falling-block gun,in which the lever ordinarily employed for opening the breech andcooking the gun is dispensed with, and the opening of the breech, theextraction of the cartridge-case, the closing of the breech, and thecooking of the gun are effected by acting on the stock of the gun. Thestock is connected with the body of the gun by means of a metallicprolongation of the stock, in

which prolongation is ajoint, on which the stock is capable of turningthrough a small angle. The joint-pin on which the stock turns issituated low in the body of the gun, and very nearly over the pin onwhich the trigger turns. The hammer turns upon the same pin as thestock. The prolongation of the stock situated within the body of the guncarries an arm, which projects upward, and engages in a recess on theunder side of the falling block, and near the joint of the said block.The mainspring is carried on the under side of the falling block, oneend of the said spring being connected to the block near the joint end,and the bend of the spring being supported by a shoulder under the freeend of the block. The other end of the mainspring acts on the hammer.

When the body of the gun is held still and the stock pressed downward,the latter moves through a small angle, and the internal projecting armdescribed, acting upon the falling block, depresses it. The motion ofthe mainspring causes that end of it resting on the hammer to force backthe said hammer when the trigger engages in the bent of the tumbler.

A cartridge having been introduced into the open breech end of thebarrel, the stock is raised. This motion raises the falling block andcloses the breech, the hammer being retained in its cocked position.

By pressing the finger on the trigger the gun is discharged in the usualway. The cartridge-case is extracted by an extractor of the ordinarykind, operated by a lever situated in the'lower part of the body. Ashort horizontal arm on the prolongation of the stock engages under onearm of the said lever.

When the stock is depressed and the falling block lowered, the saidhorizontal arm lifts the rear end of the said lever. The fore end isdepressed, and, striking the extractor, throws out the cartridge-case.

The motion of the stock may be made to operate the sliding blocks ofsliding-block guns by the use of a lever, the extractor being operatedby the cooking of the hammer.

A safety-bolt, operated by a short arm or lever on the side of thehinged falling-block gun, when turned into one position, locks the stockand hammer, but when turned into another position does not interferewith the motion of either.

I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, the manner in which my invention may be performed.

Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Fig. 2 in longitudinal section,and Fig. 3 inplan, the breech end of a hinged falling-block gunconstructed according to my invention, the parts of the said gun beingin the respective positions which they occupy when the gun is ready fordischarge. Fig. 4. represents a side elevation of the gun, showing thejointed stock depressed, for the purpose of opening the breech,oocking'the hammer, and extracting the cartridge-case; and Fig. 5represents a horizontal section of the gun, taken below the hingedblock. Fig. 6 represents in side elevation, and Fig. 7 in plan,thejointed stock detached from the gun.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figs. 1 to 7,both inclusive.

a is the body or shoe of the gun, connected to the barrel 1) in theordinary way. 0 is the hinged falling block, working in the said shoe,the said block 0 turning on the pin or center dis the stock of the gun,and d is the metallic prolongation thereof. The said prolonged metallicpart d of the stock 01 is forked, (see Fig. 7,) and projects into thebody or shoe, and is jointed to the said body or shoe by the joint-pin6, upon which pin 0 the stock is capable of turning through a smallangle. The said joint-pin e is situated low in the body of the gun, andis over the pin f on which the trigger f turns. The hammer g turns onthe same pin 6 as the jointed stock d d. The prolonged metallic part 01of the stock is provided with two arms, marked, respectively, h t. (SeeFigs. 6 and 7.) The forked arm h projects upward and engages in therecess 70 in the falling block 0, near the joint of the said block, thesaid forked arm h giving the rising and falling motions to the saidblock. The other arm, 2', which is nearly horizontal, operates the leverl l, and the latter the horizontal arm of the cranked extractor-lever p,as hereinafter described. The extractor-lever p is of the ordinary kind.q is the mainspring of the gun, the said spring being carried on theunder side of the falling block 0. The fixed limb of the spring isconnected to the block 0 at the joint end g and the bend of the springis supported by the shoulder g at the fore end of the block. The freeend of the mainspring carries a roller, 1, which works against theconcave part g of the hammer g. f is the sear of the trigger f, whichsear engages with the bent in the tumbler of the hammer g. The hingedstock d d is fastened to the shoe or body of the gun, when the saidstock is in its raised or normal position, by the spring-catch fastenings on the prolonged end d of the stock engaging with a recess in theupper rear end of the shoe a. (See Fig. 2.) By pressure upon thethumb-plate s of the fastening s, the latter is released from the shoe,and the stock may be depressed for opening the gun.

The action of the gun is as follows: When the body or shoe a of the gunis held still and the stock 61 d is pressed down, after releasing thespring-catch fastening s, the said stock turns on the center 6, andmoves through a small angle, passing to the position represented in Fig.4. By thedepression, of the stock, the forked arm 71. on the internalprojecting part at, acting upon the fallingblock 0, de-

presses the said block and opens the breech, and the motion of themainspring q, carried by the said block, causes that end resting on thehammer g to force back and cook the said hammer, the sear f of thetriggerfengaging .with the bent of the said hammer and holding it atfull-cock, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

As soon as the breech has been opened by the ,depression of the block 0,the arm i of the prolonged end d of the stock acts uponand raises theshort arm I of the lever Z l, and depresses its opposite arm I, and thelatter arm, by operating on the nearly horizontal arm of theextractor-lever 10, causes its vertical arm to move from the barrel andextract the empty cartridge-case from the said barrel.

By an examination of Fig. 2, it will be seen that the arm 1 of the leverfirst acts upon the extreme end of the horizontal arm of theextractor-lever 10, so as to start the cartridgecase, and afterward actsupon the said horizontal arm 1; near the joint, so as to extract thesaid cartridge-case.

After a fresh cartridge has been introduced into the barrel 1), thestock 01 d is raised into and fastened in the position represented inFigs. 1, 2, and 3. This motion raises the falling block 0 and closes thebreech, the hammer g being retained in its cocked position by the scarf,and the gun is ready for discharge. By pressure upon the triggerf, thehammer g is released from the sear f and the said hammer falls by theaction of the free end of the mainspring q, and discharges the gun. Thedischarged position of the hammer g is indicated in dotted lines in Fig.'2, and the head of the striking-pin in the block 0, against which thehammer strikes, is marked 0 For-the purpose of preventing the accidentaldischarge of the gun, a safety-bolt. it, passes across the body of thegun, the said bolt being worked by the arm or lever 25 on the outside ofthe body or shoe a. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) This bolt is capable of apartial rotation, and its acting end is provided with a crosspiece, twhich can either be made to cross the projection g on the side of thehammer g, or be removed from the front of the said projection g When inthe position represented in Fig. 2 the cross-piece t of the safety-boltis below the end of the projection g on the hammer, and the said hammermay be discharged. When the boltt t t is turned through a quadrant itscross-piece t is made to cross the end of the projection 9 and thedischarge of the hammer g is prevented. The bolt 2?, besides serving toprevent the discharge of the gun, also fixes the hinged stock in itsraised or normal position. The part below the cross-piece t is cut away,so that when the bolt is in the position represented in Fig. 2 it doesnot impede the motion of the prolonged end of the jointed stock. When,however, the bolt is turned into its fastening position, (see thehorizontal section, Fig. 5,) whereby the piece t is made to cross theprojection g on the hammer, the cylindrical part of the bolt takes intothe circular depression d in the prolonged endof the stock, and therebyfixes the said stock.

Fig. 8 represents a modification of the gun described, in which themainspring (marked u.) is situated in the stock, instead of under thefalling block. The manner in which the said mainspring u is connectedwith the hammer g is seen in the drawing. In this modification thehammer g is cooked, on the descent of the block a, by the operation ofthe prolonged part c in the middle of the said block striking againstthe face of the hammer.

The other means 3 parts of this gun are the same as those in the gunherein first described, and corresponding parts are marked with the sameletters of 'reference. v

Fig. 9 represents, in longitudinal section, a vertically-sliding-blockgun constructed according to my invention, the parts being in thepositions which they respectively occupy when the breech is closed, andthe gun has been discharged. at d is the hinged stock, turning on thepin or center 6. f is the vertically-sliding block, working in the shoea, for opening and closing the breech. The motion of the said block f iseffected by the prolonged end d of the stock acting upon the lever g.The end of the long arm of the lever g engages in a slot, h, in theblock f, (best seen in the separate view, Fig. 9,) and the short arm ofthe said lever g engages in the slot d in the prolonged end d of thestock. When the stock d d is pulled down the block'fis lowered, and whenthe stock is returned to its normal position the block f is raised. 41is the hammer of the gun, turning on the center i carried by thetrigger-plate,-and working in the hollow breech-block f. k is themainspring of the hammer, the bend of the said spring being carried bythe hinged stock 01 61 The end of the upper limb of the mainspring bearsupon the inclined shoulder 2' of the hammer, below the center of thesaid hammer; The end of the short limb of the spring is supported on thetrigger-plate. l is the sear, and m is the trigger. When the jointedstock d d of the gun is depressed, it carries the acting part of thespring is with it, and the upper limb of the said spring [6, by pressingupon the shoulder i of the said hammer, pulls down and cooks it, thesaid hammer being retained in its cocked position by the sear l engagingwith the bent in the tumbler of the said hammer. The gun is discharged,in the usual way, by pressure on the trigger m. 'n is theextractorlever,the upper arm of which acts upon the cartridge-case, and the lower armis moved toward the barrel by the heel i of the hammer when the latterhas nearly reached its cocked position, as will be understood by anexamination of the drawing.

Having now described the nature of my invention, and the manner in whichthe same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do notlimit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, asthe same may be varied without departing from the nature of myinvention; but

I claim' as myinvention of improvements in breech-loading small-arms- 1.In falling-block breech-loading guns, the combination of a jointed stockand a breechblock operated by the movement of said stock, substantiallyas herein set forth.

2. In falling-block breech-loading guns, the combination, with thebreech-block and hammer, of a jointed stock, by whose movement the blockis operated and the hammer is cooked, substantially as set forth.

3. 1n falling-block breech-loading guns, the com bination of a jointedstock with a breechblock, hammer, and extractor, which are operated bythe movement of the jointed stock, substantially in the manner setforth.

4. The combination, substantially as setforth, of the jointed stock, thefalling breechblock, the hammer, and the mainspring, by the action ofwhich the hammer is cooked when the breech-block falls.

5. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the jointed stock,the extracting-lever, and the intermediate lever, through which thestock acts on the extracting-lever.

JAMES SIMEON EDGE, JR. [L. S.]

Witnesses:

RICHARD SKERRETT, HENRY SKERRET T,

37 Temple Street, Birmingham.

